How much water does a golf course need?

How much water does a golf course need?

Why might we want to know?

It would be nice to have enough water, and not to run out.
That’s the first reason. With no water, grass stops growing. When
the grass stops growing, it can be difficult to produce the desired
playing surfaces. For many golf courses, especially those with golf
carts driving on the turf, the business model is based on turf not
going dormant. If one knows how much water the grass will use,
one can use the water in a way to prevent it from running out.

Second, it’s the right thing to do. The R&A say that “water is
a precious resource and golf courses should only use what is ab-
solutely necessary.” The USGA say “it is essential for everyone
involved in the game to strive to conserve and protect the world’s
most vital resource.”

And then there is cost. Water costs money, or even if the water
happens to be free, it costs money to pump it and apply it. Using
water efficiently will save money.